Minnesota Vikings Prepare for a New Era

New Head Coach Mike Zimmer's Defensive Mind Can Shore Up The Teams Defensive Woes.

As the NFL draft quickly approaches on May 8th, teams are accessing the best possible picks to enable them to get the most production out of the upcoming season. The Minnesota Vikings are no exception when it comes to multiple needs for position players. They had one of the worst overall secondary's during the 2013 season, and need to shore up help in stopping passing against their team.

As it stands now the Vikings have the 8th overall pick in the draft. Most analysts predict they will take a quarterback if one of the top picks are still available on the market. The favorite choice for most of the teams going into the draft is Johnny Manziel. Should he last until the Vikings can acquire him, they will be more than happy to pick him up in hopes that he can become a franchise player for years to come.

Other choices might make more sense for a team who is looking for a mature leader to incorporate into the team atmosphere from day one. Since the draft stock of Derrek Carr isn't considered to be very high at the moment, it could be more pertinent for the Vikings to trade down for more picks in the draft. Carr has the attributes teams are looking for in a strong leader that could propel a team to moving the ball on offense for years to come.

This could leave Minnesota open to being able to draft a defensive cornerback or outside linebacker they have been lacking over the last few years. According to ESPN records, the team has not had a solid pass interceptor with over four interceptions since the year 2005. From 2006 and beyond they have amassed the league's worst passing record in allowing 30,875 yards through the air. The addition of former Carolina Panthers cornerback Captain Munnerlyn gives them some leverage on being able to bring up a new set of young players to fill the badly needed position gaps at linebacker and safety.

First year head coach Mike Zimmer was the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, and Atlanta Falcons. His knowledge on the defensive side of the ball could ensure the team shores up holes in one of the worst defenses over the past few years. His defensive schemes held quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers to under 10 quarterback rating in the games they played against his team last year.